LuAnn Zude (left) with her sister Janet Nelson (right).

Haven Hospice volunteer LuAnn Zude has been making quilts for Haven since September 2022.

A five-year volunteer, LuAnn has served Haven in many capacities, including providing respite for families, sitting with patients through Haven’s No One Dies Along (NODA) program, serving veterans through the We Honor Veterans program, and now, quilting for the Lake City Attic Resale Store.

LuAnn’s most recent volunteer project, quilting, began when Haven chaplain Doug Felton acquired several bins of quilting fabric that were amassed over the decades by his mother-in-law, who could no longer use it due to her dementia. Doug reached out to volunteer coordinator Vondla Sullivan to see if any of her volunteers could make use of the impressive collection of fabric.

LuAnn, who was introduced to hospice care in her career as a cancer center CT technician, jumped at the opportunity to help.

“LuAnn and her sister enjoy doing for others,” Vondla said. “LuAnn is a very giving person, has a calming and gentle spirit, and is very good with our patients and families. She really is a jack of all trades.”

LuAnn and her sister, Janet Nelson, began chipping away at the donated fabric to make quilts for veteran patients in the We Honor Veterans program. Early on, they had the idea to make quilts for the Lake City Haven Attic Resale Store to sell. From September to date, they’ve made 165 quilts together. Each quilt takes the two of them 10 hours to complete.

LuAnn and Janet have had to work hard to keep up with the high demand for their quilts in the Attic. Lake City Attic manager Brenda Everett said, “They sell very well. People love being able to purchase new lap throws made by our awesome volunteers.”

LuAnn and Janet currently have 10 quilts left to make before their Attic project is finished and they refocus their efforts on quilting for Haven’s veteran patients. “It was a great project,” LuAnn said. “We enjoyed doing it and having the opportunity to be able to help Haven in a different way with the money made from it going towards their programs.”

Haven is thankful for LuAnn and Janet’s dedication to helping others! If you are interested in using a special talent to help those in need, visit Haven’s volunteer page today at https://beyourhaven.org/volunteer.